Before the dust could settle, Ming Yu leaped across the gap between the houses to Kiana and the others' side, shouting, "Are you guys okay?!"
Mei looked at the two beside her and shook her head. "We're fine."
Kiana stared at the Honkai Beast's massive body, which was taller than a three or four-story building, and said in a daze, "How can there be such a huge Honkai Beast? Can we really fight this thing?"
The firearms in their hands couldn't even penetrate the defense of a three or four-meter-tall Chariot-class, let alone a Thunder God-class beast. Their attacks wouldn't even count as a scratch, while a single strike from the beast's spear would mean certain death or serious injury. There was no way to fight it.
The Honkai Beast glanced at them and raised its spear high, smashing it down. Bronya quickly commanded Project Bunny to swing its own spear to meet the blow.
With a clang, the two spears collided, scraping together and creating dazzling sparks. The Honkai Beast paused for a moment, then pushed with more force. Project Bunny could no longer resist and was instantly sent flying dozens of meters, crashing through one house after another, leaving a series of perfectly shaped holes in its wake.
Seeing this, Ming Yu immediately shouted, "We can't fight it head-on! Retreat now!"
The other three nodded and ran out onto the street together.
The Honkai Beast, not letting up, swung the large blade in its other hand. The blade's enormous size didn't hinder its speed at all as it swung towards the four running figures. Before the blade even arrived, the gust of wind it created was already making them stagger.
*I can't dodge this,* the thought flashed through Ming Yu's mind. Turning to face the terrifying blow, Ming Yu clenched his jaw, gripped the Seishuu Muramasa tightly with both hands, and forced his mind to calm down. He quickly opened his attribute panel, spent 200 Honkai Energy points to upgrade the Seishuu Muramasa to two stars. The reinforced tachi appeared slightly longer and sharper, giving Ming Yu a tiny bit more security in his hand.
Originally, Ming Yu hadn't wanted to waste precious Honkai Energy points on a one-star weapon. Its growth potential was too poor, and he would have plenty of opportunities to get better weapons after this novice period. But the current situation left no room for hesitation. Ming Yu could already smell death; the slightest mistake, and it would really be over for him. After a moment's thought, Ming Yu poured his remaining 132 Honkai Energy points into his Basic Swordsmanship skill. Although it was still far from the 300 points needed to level up, it would at least give him a slightly better understanding of swordsmanship, and a slightly better hope of survival.
His eyes locked onto the descending blade. Perhaps due to the threat of death, Ming Yu felt the blade's descent slow down a fraction. *Now!* Ming Yu roared, and the Seishuu Muramasa in his hands slashed diagonally against the body of the large blade. The two blades clashed with a piercing screech of metal on metal. Although Ming Yu's tachi was minuscule compared to the Honkai Beast's ten-meter-long blade, the power Ming Yu unleashed in that life-or-death moment managed to deflect the blade slightly, causing it to miss the four of them.
With a clang, the two-star weapon in Ming Yu's hands broke under the strain, and the residual force tore open the webbing of his thumb, causing blood to spurt out. Ming Yu's body was also thrown back dozens of meters, tumbling several times on the ground and scraping open several bloody gashes before coming to a stop, motionless.
"Ming Yu!" Kiana cried out in alarm, rushing towards his body.
Looking at Ming Yu's still form, Mei suddenly felt a dull ache in her heart. *Why did you save us? Couldn't you have just run away on your own? The Honkai Beast wasn't targeting you, you could have just escaped. Why did you have to block that blow for us? We only just met today, why would you risk your life for us?*
Thinking of her earlier suspicions about Ming Yu, Mei was filled with even more remorse. How could someone with ulterior motives do something like this for others, to the point of throwing away their own life? Amidst the remorse, there was also self-reproach for her own weakness, and hatred for the Honkai Beast. It was as if a voice in the depths of her heart was saying, "Unleash it all, destroy them!"
Orbs of lightning began to appear around Mei's body, and dense arcs of electricity enveloped her. The mark of the Herrscher of Thunder appeared on her waist, and an identical symbol materialized in the empty space behind her, growing brighter and brighter. A shield of lightning lifted her body into the air. The symbol behind her and the surrounding lightning orbs formed a half-wing of lightning that protected her left side. When Mei opened her eyes again, her pupils had transformed into vertical, beast-like slits, glowing with an eerie purple light.
Below, the ten-meter-tall Thunder God-class Honkai Beast looked up at the figure in the sky controlling the lightning. A look of fanaticism appeared in its eyes. It lowered its head and knelt on one knee, its spear and blade laid on the ground, appearing completely subservient.
But the airborne Mei only glanced contemptuously at the submissive Honkai Beast and said with an air of indifference, "Die, you trash." As she spoke, she waved her right hand, and a ball of lightning shot towards the Honkai Beast below. The swift orb of lightning collided with the beast, and the sphere, which was no bigger than a man's fist, erupted in a dazzling light. When the light faded, the Honkai Beast had vanished, leaving only a large crater in its place.
Mei glanced down at the motionless Ming Yu and said mockingly, "Getting injured to protect such a coward. How useless."
When the lightning flashed, Honkai Beasts from all directions began to swarm towards the area—Chariot-class, Ballista-class—they came in droves to worship their queen: the Herrscher.
---
At that moment, the floating warship Hyperion, hovering high above Nagazora, came alive with activity.
"Extremely strong Honkai source detected ahead!"
"Honkai source reaction spiking! The Honkai Beasts in Nagazora are converging on the source!"
In the combat command room, a woman in a low-cut red dress and a military green jacket, with hair as fiery as her namesake, muttered to herself, "Tsk, looks like we hit the jackpot this time."
An adjutant beside her advised, "Major, there's still time to retreat."
Before the adjutant could finish, Himeko cut him off rudely, "Cut the crap! The word 'retreat' isn't in my dictionary!"
"All hands to battle stations, level one alert! Commence operation!" The cold command was relayed throughout the ship.
As the floating warship drew closer, Himeko looked at the Herrscher of Thunder, who appeared as a young girl on the screen, and laughed. "So this is the Herrscher? I was expecting something more terrifying, like a tentacle monster or some kind of slime."
The adjutant beside her adjusted his glasses and said wearily, "Major, your imagination when you're thirsty is truly terrifying."
"Then don't interrupt my date!" Himeko stomped her foot forcefully, her high heels making a sharp sound against the warship's floor, and said impatiently.
Then, with a grand wave of her hand, Himeko issued the command: "All cannons, lock on! Commence suppressive fire!"
With the resounding clang of metal, cannons emerged one by one, all locking onto the Herrscher of Thunder below.
The Herrscher of Thunder looked up at the massive floating warship above her and said angrily, "Annoying insects! Who gave you permission to be above me?!"
The Herrscher of Thunder extended her right hand towards the warship above her. Myriad bolts of lightning materialized from the surroundings and surged towards the Hyperion.
Seeing the oncoming lightning, Himeko urgently shouted, "Quick, defense fields to maximum!"
The next moment, countless bolts of lightning submerged the Hyperion.